The International Table Tennis Federation has agreed a three-year partnership with Chinese sportswear manufacturer Li-Ning.
Under the deal, Li-Ning will serve as the ITTF’s official umpire and referee apparel sponsor from 2018 to 2020.
The contract has already seen Li-Ning provide new uniforms for ITTF umpires and referees at the 2018 World Team Table Tennis Championships, which were held in Halmstad, Sweden from April 29 to May 6, as well as three World Tour events in Hong Kong, China and Japan earlier this month.
Li-Ning will gradually roll out its apparel to all ITTF events between 2018 and 2020, including the World Tour and World Cups.
Li-Ning’s manager of the brand project management centre, Zhang Xiangdu, said: “Since our establishment in 1990, the concept of ‘consumer experience’ has always been one criteria behind the design of each of our products to ensure utmost comfort and best experience for our consumers.
“Having sponsored and contributed to the success of several top teams, such as the Chinese table tennis team, Chinese shooting team and the Chinese diving team, we are very excited about this new collaboration with the ITTF to bring a more pleasant and professional experience for referees and staff at top table tennis events worldwide.”